Speaking Volumes

February has lots of special days that lend themselves well to book displays and reading lists.  

February is:
 
American Heart Month
Black History Month
Library Lovers’ Month – This one’s right up our alley!
National Bird Feeding Month – don’t forget our fine feathered friends during all our storms in the Northeast.
 
Special dates like Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, and the Super Bowl XLV (congratulations Packers)  have already gone by and Valentines Day is next Monday. Presidents Day honoring Lincoln (February 12^th) and Washington’s (February 22^nd) birthdays is February 21st and would you believe The Daytona 500 runs on February 20^th (makes me hopeful spring is on the way). For movie fans don’t forget films big night, The Academy Awards are hosted February 27^th.
 
Besides the two presidents mentioned above there are slews of famous people born in February, some living, some departed.  Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 just yesterday (40th president of the US): Feb. 6, 1911
 
Clark Gable: Feb. 1, 1901
Gertrude Stein: Feb. 3, 1874
Langston Hughes: Feb. 1, 1902
Rosa Parks: Feb. 4, 1913
James Dean: Feb. 8, 1931
Elizabeth Taylor: Feb. 27, 1932
Lisa Marie Presley February 1, 1971
Ashton Kutcher Feb. 7, 1981
Laura Ingalls Wilder Feb. 7, 1867
Babe Ruth: Feb. 6, 1895
Jeniffer Aniston, Feb. 11,  1969
 
Just to name a few...
 
So what to talk about today?

Two stories with February connections caught my eye. The first is touching story I heard on NPR, which honored Ronald McNair, who was killed 25 years ago when the space shuttle, The Challenger, exploded. Ron’s story is narrated by his brother Carl, who tells his brother’s story with pride. Ronald McNair was just the second African American to visit space. This in itself is an accomplishment and fits the theme of Black History Month. The true focus of the story though, is one of segregation at none other than his public library. As Carl explains it
 
The library was public, Carl says — "but not so public for black folks, when you're talking about 1959."
The story continues from there and doesn’t get much better as the police are called and also Ronald’s mother, Pearl.
 
When all arrive the librarian explains the problem "He wanted to check out the books and, you know, your son shouldn't be down here."  quotes Carl.
 
"And the police officer said, 'You know, why don't you just give the kid the books?'
 
"And my mother said, 'He'll take good care of them.'”
 
Ron gets his books and after graduating from North Carolina A&T State earning a Ph.D. from MIT, in physics, he eventually joins NASA's astronaut program.
 
Ronald McNair was 35 when he was killed in The Challenger explosion.  On January 28^th, the anniversary of his death, The Dr. Ronald E. McNair Life History Center was dedicated. It is housed in the building where Ron’s original public library, The Lake City Library, is located.


Steve Helber/AP

Ronald McNair (third in line) and his fellow Challenger astronauts head to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center to board the space shuttle on Jan. 27, 1986.

 
Though Ron’s story is a good one for  Black History Month, I herald it as a great one to tell as a real example of  Library Lover’s Month.
 
Tune in next Monday if you’re interested in the second story that caught my attention. Hint, it has something to do with Valentine’s Day.
 
Visit our library to find books to celebrate any of the wonderful February holiday, particularly Black History Month and Valentine’s Day.